Some autistic youths detained in UK in "horrific" conditions

A British Parliamentary committee says some young people with autism or learning disabilities are being detained under "horrific" conditions and has called for an urgent overhaul of the medical system overseeing their treatments.

In a report issued Friday, the Joint Committee on Human Rights said it heard "grim" evidence about how young people with disabilities or autism were being held, calling those detentions "often inappropriate."
The panel said it has "lost confidence that the system is doing what it says it is doing" and said the mental health regulator's approach "is not working." "This inquiry has shown with stark clarity the urgent change that is needed," committee chair Harriet Harman said. "What we saw does not fit our society's image of itself as one which cares for the vulnerable and respects everyone's human rights."
According to U.K. law, people detained under the Mental Health Act in Britain "need urgent help for a mental health disorder and are at risk of harm to themselves or others."